San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Miss Coco Peru steps into Heklina’s high heels
Miss Coco Peru is a legend in New York’s drag scene, as famed for her biting wit in her stand-up comedy as she is for her signature red-flip hairdo. Now the performer is donning a gray wig for her new role as Dorothy Zbornak in “The Golden Girls: The Christmas Episodes,” replacing the late Heklina, who died unexpectedly in April.
Peru joins director D’Arcy Drollinger (Rose Nylund), Holotta Tymes (Sophia Petrillo) and Matthew Martin (Blanche Devereaux) for the hit live version of the 1980s sitcom about four women of a certain age sharing a house in Miami. A San Francisco holiday tradition, the production runs at the Victoria Theatre through Dec. 23.
“It feels very strange to step into Heklina’s shoes, especially because we were such good friends and she was so iconic in that role in her city,” the 58year-old said. “But when D’Arcy called me, I found it somehow comforting that I would be honoring Heklina in my own way.”
Peru talked about her friendships with both Heklina and Bea Arthur, who originated the role of Dorothy on the sevenseason “The Golden Girls” TV series, her approach to the role and why she thinks the theatrical show — and the sitcom it’s based on — still resonate with fans decades later.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: When did you meet Heklina?
A: Trannyshack. But back then, in the 1990s, I was incredibly shy and insecure. I think I was overwhelmed by knowing that Heklina was such an icon in the city and started that club.
We really got to know each other later because of my connecting
with Peaches Christ and then working for Heklina at Oasis (the South of Market
nightclub owned by Drollinger). We got very, very close when she was delighted to realize that
I had just the most sick, dark sense of humor. That really resonated with her.
Q: What was it like befriending Bea Arthur? A:
She’s my hero. She was brought to my show, and then our paths just kept crossing. She was very sweet to me.
We ended up becoming friends and I asked her if she would do the first “Conversations with Coco” show.
Her first response was no, and then I realized how much she loved the queer community and younger kids who weren’t fortunate to have the kind of family that I had (and) who were kicked out of their homes. That was exactly who this was benefiting, gay youth, and she agreed to do it.
The following day, I drove to her house to drop off her Tony and some other awards we were using as a sight gag, and she said she was so happy she did it.
“I guess that makes us bosom buddies,” she said (referencing her song from the 1966 musical “Mame.”)
It was the best compliment ever. You think of Bea Arthur as bold and forthright, and she could be that way, but there was another side to her that was very much like me, that was very shy and insecure. I think we saw that in each other.
“I think she connected with other people who felt othered and ... bullied, and she appreciated that queer sensibility and humor.”
Miss Coco Peru, on Bea Arthur
Q: Where do you think her connection to the LGBTQ community came from?
A:
Her best friend, years ago, was Charles Pierce, the iconic drag queen. She always had a great fondness for queer people.
She told me she was a Jewish girl in a neighborhood where there weren’t very many Jewish kids.
She was dark-haired and tall and always wanted to be short and blond. Kids used to tease her for being so tall and would say things like, “How’s the weather up there?” I think she connected with other people who felt othered and who are often bullied, and she appreciated that queer sensibility and humor.
Q: You’re no stranger to San Francisco, having performed here with Peaches Christ in “The Witches of the East Bay” and “Steel Dragnolias,” as well as your solo shows. How do you find the audiences here?
A:
One of the reasons I felt like it was OK to do (“The Golden Girls”) show was because I did feel like the San Francisco audience knows me — “It’s Coco Peru, we can trust her.” I do have this relationship with the audience here, and I think they realize that I’m up for anything.
Q: What’s your approach to learning a role like Dorothy that is so closely associated with its originator, Bea Arthur?
A:
I have a natural delivery that was always very Bea because I worshiped her growing up. I’m just trying to emphasize that, but also keep it very Coco.
I know when people went to see Heklina in the role, Heklina wasn’t trying to become Bea Arthur. It was Heklina playing Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak.
Q: Why do you think “The Golden Girls” continues to resonate with people, especially during the holidays? A:
It was such a well-written show. People respond to good comedy. Then you’ve got four great comic actresses. It’s also comforting. There’s something familiar about it.
I remember years and years ago, there was a group of guys doing the show; they got something like a cease-and-desist letter. Now, I think the studio kind of just lets it slide by because they realize that these campy shows are keeping the original show alive in a way.